


Sober

by hit_the_books



Series: Brrrrrr- SPN Coldest Hits [11]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Birthday, British Men of Letters, Drinking, Gen, London, Pre-Series, Self-Reflection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-20
Updated: 2017-05-20
Packaged: 2018-11-03 01:28:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10956846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hit_the_books/pseuds/hit_the_books
Summary: It's Mick's 18th birthday, so Ketch and Toni take him out for drinks.





	Sober

Mick was the birthday boy. He hadn’t been asked what he wanted to do, so he, Toni and Ketch had walked until they found somewhere interesting. Interesting was a bar where Mick couldn’t quite believe just how many different types of bourbon and whiskey that the random bar in Islington had. But he was happy to be dragged into it. Somehow Ketch knew one of the owners and they’d spent hours in there after last call, sampling a little bit of this and a little bit of that. There was no chance that they’d ever drink the bar dry, but they gave it a shot anyway, the only ones left there except for the one barman who’d stayed to keep them company.

Ketch and Toni looked like they belonged in the bar, but Mick was all black jeans, t-shirt and Doc Martins. Wallet on a chain hanging out of his back pocket. It was a night off and he didn’t want to dress like an utter prick for once.

It was a strange eighteenth birthday, but Mick was fine with that. Maybe once upon a time he had thought he’d be with some kind of family, some foster or adoptive mother on this day, but he had ended up with the Men of Letters and his Kendricks classmates. Mother’s Day had been weeks ago, in March, but Mick hadn’t failed to notice how Toni had gone through the motions of getting her mother a card and gift. Ketch was like Mick, bereft of kin. Mick still wasn't sure if he regretted not having a real family.

The three of them eventually headed out of the bar at five in the morning, dawn making the sky pink. Terraced Georgian houses surrounded them as they walked along the street, and maybe their feet were a little awkward, but they could still walk. This corner of London was starting to wake up and their feet carried them towards one of the few cafés that would be open that early on a Sunday.

Sobriety started to sink in around the sixth round of toast. Mick was dipping the crisp bread into a pool of egg yolk and thoughtfully munching it as a group of men started coming in. The men were quite friendly with each other. He’d lost track of time, but it was probably nearer lunch than breakfast. It was impossible to follow the conversation of the newcomers behind him, so Mick instead munched his toast and watched Toni and Ketch awkwardly flirt with each other.

After watching the flirting and—Mick had finally determined—gay brunch party slowly descend past his comfort zones, Mick got up. Without a word he put money down for his part of the bill. Ketch and Toni were too caught up in each other to notice Mick leaving the café, and he wandered off by himself, heading further and further away from where their night had started.

No matter where he walked, Mick felt at home. London was his city, inside and out. Eventually he came to a park square and slipped past the black painted iron gates. Mick walked over to an empty bench and sat down. The square was surprisingly empty for this time on a Sunday, but he didn’t mind the chance to have his own space.

Mick stared at the gray squirrels that bobbed around in the grass, shifting from tree to tree. A few came up to him, expecting him to have bread or some other treat, but Mick showed them that his hands were empty and the squirrels would bugger off back to their trees.

“So this is my life,” Mick muttered to himself. “Eighteen and everything’s all decided.” Of course Mick was glad that the Men of Letters had given him a roof, clothes, food and education over the years, but that didn’t mean he had to like the cost of all of it.

“Eighteen and I’ve already killed every best friend I’ve ever had,” Mick mused. He wondered what the future held for Ketch, Toni and him.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for <http://spncoldesthits.tumblr.com/post/160672355365/mays-prompt-posting-dates-15-20th-of-may>.


End file.
